Breno sentenced to three years and nine months in prison

The defender has been handed a jail term after being convicted of arson earlier this year in relation to a fire at his villa he started in September 2011

Former Bayern Munich defender Breno has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison without parole after it was ruled that he was responsible for a fire in his own villa in September.

The 22-year-old's residence in the Grunwald suburb of Munich caught ablaze and after it emerged that he had managed to escape unharmed, the Brazilian was promptly placed under suspicion, before being bailed in October.

He had faced a jail term of up to 10 years, but could have escaped a spell behind bars on account of his well-document mental health problems.

However, a Munich court has now ruled that he set fire to the villa deliberately, and he will now spend a little under four years incarcerated.

"For the prosecution, the accused can only been seen as a delinquent," said prosecutor Nikolaus Lanz. "For the prosecution, there is no reason see otherwise."

Breno's family did not come to any harm in the blaze, and the Brazilian said that he was full of remorse the example he had set his children, and promised to accept responsibility for these events.

"I apologise for that night," Breno told the court. "I also apologise to my children, to whom I have not been a good role model. I am a person who believes in God, and I thank him that he has protected my family.

"I know it's all very difficult at the moment, and I promise the court that I'm not going to escape - not from this process, and not from my responsibilities."

Bayern, meanwhile, have pledged their support to Breno, and voiced the club's regret to hear that a former player was facing a spell behind bars.

"FC Bayern Munich has learned, regretfully, of the court's decision against former player Breno on Wednesday July 4 2012," an official statement read.

"Breno was sentenced to prison. We had hoped that Breno had would be able to continue his career as a footballer and have a life with his family. Bayern Munich will continue to support Breno."

Breno has struggled with injuries since moving to the Allianz Arena from Sao Paulo in 2008, and was reportedly close to a move to Serie A side Lazio.